NHFPI looks at the eligibility determination system and verification protocols currently used to ensure funds for New Hampshire’s Financial Assistance to Needy Families program, Medicaid and Food Stamps are used appropriately. Lawmakers are considering adding a new layer of enforcement. More specifically, HB 1658, presently before the Senate Finance Committee, would require the state to buy or build a new computerized income and identity verification system.

A closer examination of the proposal reveals several potential concerns, including evidence that the proposed database searches are likely to lead to false positives because they flag information that is flawed or irrelevant to eligibility.

In any given month in 2010, some 11,000 people looked to New Hampshire’s Financial Assistance for Needy Families (FANF) program for help in meeting everyday needs. Of that number, nearly three in four were children, many of whom are being cared for by relatives in the absence of a parent. The cash benefits available under FANF are temporary in nature, generally contingent upon meeting some form of work or education requirement, and fall well short of securing even the most basic of essentials. In fact, the average monthly FANF payment of $507 amounts to less than half the poverty level for a parent and child.

As state lawmakers meet this week to examine the condition of the New Hampshire’s economy and its ramifications for state revenue, they should remain mindful of the consequences that the current state budget has had for individuals and families across the state, according to NHFPI Executive Director Jeff McLynch.

“Should revenue collections for the fiscal year 2012-2013 biennium fall short of expectations, policymakers should not rely on further spending cuts. Rather, they should take a more balanced approach that seeks to generate additional revenue and forestall further cuts to critical services,” he said.

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Common Cents Blog

Investments in the operation, maintenance, and construction of transportation infrastructure in New Hampshire often draw from many different sources and funds. Decisions about financing mixes, timelines, projected interest costs, and the effects of deteriorating or enhanced transportation infrastructure at any level of government can all influence projects.